Consider This: Sol Wachtler's essay, "When the Scars of Battle"
. . .a recurring theme
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News: VA low balls mental health budget at $4.4 billion
On the heels of congressional hearings about military sexual trauma (MST), the Government Accounting Office (GAO) asked the Veterans Administration (VA) to fold funding for MST treatment into overall budget requests for mental health services. . .
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Did You Know: The VA served 1.2 mllion people in mental health settings in 2009.
Read the GAO report, "Reporting of Spending and Workload for Mental Health Services Could Be Improved," released May 2010....
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News: Bill helping women vets, and caregiving families goes to Obama

News: Witnesses spar at hearings over anti-depressant -- suicide risks

News: Chronic PTSD affects brain functions
Can time alone heal the impact of combat in Iraq? Not likely, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. . . .
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News: Off label antipsychotic drugs increased at VA

Did You Know: The cost of second generation atypical drugs average $10 a day.
"Off Label Use of Antipsychotic medications in the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System" appears in the September issue of Psychiatric Services. Abstract available....
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News: Obama outlines military health challenge

Track Legislation: Medical care for military women
Improvements in mental health treatment for women veterans were part of a bill (HR 1211) the House passed by unanimous vote, 408 to zero. Among the provisions are special training for mental health professionals to treat women for sexual abuse and PTSD, and a study of the barriers, including stigma, to seeking treatment. Reports indicate sexual harassment of military women has increased and is often unreported....
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News: Defining PTSD and combat burden
In uncommon combat where injuries do not always take place on a formal battlefield, criteria for assessing combat-related disability may be outdated. A bill to change the meaning of "combat with the enemy" (HR 952) was introduced by Rep. John J. Hall (D-NY) who opened congressional hearings by noting "an unnecessary burden on veterans diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress disorder - PTSD and other conditions - to prove their combat stressors."...
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News: Vet groups say "no" to Obama plan
"Betrayal," "dead on arrival," and "unacceptable" are just a few of the objections to Pres. Barack Obama's proposal to shift financing of service injuries from the Veterans' Adminsitration (VA) to private insurers. This proposal, which senior members of congress have widely criticized, includes treatment for service related injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury, PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression. It also seems incongruent with the testimony of Sec. Erik K. Shinseki at hearings last week about extensive mental health needs and the...
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Consider This: Lobby lawmakers, Patrick Kennedy tells advocates
. . . ask for mental health reform
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News: Mental health for women, student vets
Hearings to improve services for veterans with special attention to women and students were held with reference to three pending bills. One (HR 784) will list vacancies for mental health jobs in VA facilities. Another (HR 785) proposes "a pilot program to provide outreach and training to certain college and university mental health centers relating to the mental health of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and for other purposes. A third bill (HR 1211) "Women Veterans...
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News: Underreporting PTSD unfounded
A report from the Veteran's Administration Office of Inspector General concluded that therapists at a Texas facility did not stop diagnosing PTSD after an email from a staff psychologist suggesting cost and time saving modifications. The report was requested by a congressional committee after the psychologist's email was made public. Diagnosis has a direct impact on eligibility for benefits, and PTSD has a higher compensation than adjustment disorder. The investigation also confirmed that aftercare groups which had been meeting...
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News: PTSD doesn't earn Purple Heart, disability
The Pentagon has decided that PTSD is not worthy of a Purple Heart, saying it was not intentionally caused by an "outside force or agent." According to Stars and Stripes, which reported some of the story in May, a military spokesperson explained that the Purple Heart has never been awarded for mental disorders or psychological conditions resulting from witnessing or experiencing traumatic combat events (e.g., combat stress reaction, shell-shock, combat stress fatigue, acute stress disorder, or PTSD). The Purple...
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News: Book details military mental health crisis
Aaron Glantz, author of the The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans, discussed the military mental health crisis, now a signature of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. During a radio conversation with Lenny Lopate, Glantz said failures to address PTSD, suicides, long waits, and a shortage of professional help all reside within a military system which has historically overlooked mental health concerns. This is his third book about Iraq, and it adds to growing alarm, also apparent...
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Film: "Another Kind of VALOR"

News: Housing crisis for homeless, vets
iStock photo Cities are struggling to provide housing for their homeless men and women, and in Seattle a controversy over whether to rebuild or repair is delaying this longer. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that 200 people were shut out of boarding houses they had lived in for up to 30 years, waiting lists are 800 names deep, and 100 people are backed up in the hospital while waiting for a place in the community. In North Carolina, there is a...
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News: House passes veteran's mental health bill
A voice vote in the House approved a compromise for the "Veteran's Mental Health Bill" calling for improvements in treatment and research for PTSD, substance abuse disorders and for expanding the time when military families may seek mental health services. For updates on S. 2162, click here....
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From Our Readers: Michelle D. Sherman writes:
Many Americans are joining in the important and much-deserved recognition and celebration of our troops upon homecoming from war. Most people know someone who has been deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism...a relative, friend, neighbor, or co-worker. We are bombarded by images and stories of the war in the media, and the internet and advances in communication allow for almost instant connection with people and events half way around the world. The Global War on Terrorism is...
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News: GAO scolds DoD on mental health assessments
In a report released this week, the Government Accounting Office notes delays in assessing the post-deployment mental health needs of soldiers.Although DOD concurred with the recommendation included in the 2007 report, as of June 2008, the department had not implemented the recommendation. As a result, DOD's quality assurance program cannot provide decision makers with reasonable assurance that service members complete PDHRA. Also see AirForce Times Report: DoD cannot ensure troops get checkups...
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News: Hotline helps
In the first year of operation, the veterans' suicide hotline received a total of 55,000 calls from returning soldiers or their relatives. Rep. Harry Mitchell (AR) said the 22,000 calls from vets alone indicated the Veterans' Admnistreation had to do more yet to meet the crisis in mental health which has resulted in a jump in suicide. It's been estimated that one in five vets are returning from Iraq or Afghanistan with PTSD, and the hotline was installed last year...
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News: VA suicide hotline a start
In a speech yesterday on the Senate floor, Washington's Senator Patty Murray applauded the opening of a suicide hotline (1-800-273-TALK) but called for better staffing and programs to meet alarming rates of suicide and PTSD. A recording of her address is available here....
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News: Judge dismisses VA case
A federal judge in San Francisco dismissed a case charging that the VA had systematically shown disregard in treating veterans. Judge Samuel Conti acknowledged delays in processing or treating vets, but returned the problem to congressional oversight. This ended the non-jury trial brought by veteran groups. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) issued a statement saying the Veterans' Affairs Committee will revisit the VA delivery system....
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News: Chantix again: VA experiments with vets
According to documents obtained by the Washington Times, the Veterans Administration (VA) attempted to enroll 2000 vets with PTSD into a study about smoking cessation using Chantix. Despite well known risks, and the FDA's warning about suicidal thoughts, the study continued. Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) demanded the study be "immediately suspended."...
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News: Senate probes VA on PTSD
The Veterans Administration defended itself against Sen. Daniel Akaka's accusations of “systemic indifference to invisible wounds” in its handling of disability claims for PTSD. During Senate committee hearings, Dr. Norma Perez, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, was persistently questioned about her email recommending staff “refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out.” The VA is still processing 390,000 disability claims for injuries with a price tag estimated at $59 billion a year for the next 25 years. PTSD...
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Track Legislation: H.R. 4053
Rep. Shelley Berkeley (D-NV) introduced the Mental Health Improvements Act of 2007 on Oct. 31, 2007, “To improve the treatment and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders, and for other purposes.”
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Track Legislation: S. 2162
Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hi) introduced the Veterans’ Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 on October 14, 2007: "To improve the treatment and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders, and for other purposes."
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News: Senate bill expands treatment for vets
A Senate bill (S. 2162) to plug holes for vets with substance abuse disorders and PTSD was passed Tuesday by unanimous consent in the Senate. Problems resulting from the Iraq war have increased for soldiers and their families due to longer and multiple deployments, and insufficient treatment staff. Roughly 1,000 vets a month now attempt suicide. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), chairman of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs, said, “For too many veterans, returning home from battle will not...
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News: PTSD cases jump
Rates of diagnosed PTSD continue to jump, growing 50 percent over last year, according to new reports issued by the Army. The highest number of cases come from the Marines, and the incidence increases with the length and number of deployments....
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Track Legislation: H.R. 5892
Rep. John Hall (D-NY) introduced the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008 on April 23, 2008: “To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modernize the disability benefits claims processing system of the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure the accurate and timely delivery of compensation to veterans and their families and survivors, and for other purposes.”
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News: Trial over VA, suicides, rests
A two-week non-jury trial involving a class action law suit over veterans' mental health services has ended in San Francisco. It will now be up to U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti, to decide what, if any, measures to demand of the government. The suit focused on lapses in service, with waits still averaging 30 days, the especially high rates of suicide, and roughly 1,000 suicide attempts each month. Emails indicating top officials knew about the suicide trend, and tried...
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News: Calls for resignation of VA mental health chief
Citing a cover-up of the 12,000 suicide attempts by veterans under treatment with the VA, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) called for the resignation of Dr. Ira Katz, the VA’s mental health chief. Akaka’s demand came soon after Katz's emails were introduced into evidence in a federal court hearing charges that the VA failed to address suicide and other mental health issues. Katz began emails discussing the with “Shh!” reported the San Francisco Chronicle. “Dr. Katz's personal conduct and professional judgment...
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News: Trial hears of veteran suicides
On the opening day of a non-jury trial in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti heard about backlogs, delays, and 18 suicides a day despite staff increases in VA hospitals. A class-action suit, brought by two advocacy organizations, asks for improved treatment for mental health care and not for a financial settlement. The trial follows last week’s report from the Rand Corporation"Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery" noting a serious...
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Track Legislation: H.R. 5554
Rep. Michael Michaud introduced the Justin Bailey Veterans Substance Use Disorders Prevention and Treatment Act of 2008 on March 5, 2008: “To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand and improve health care services available to veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs for substance use disorders, and for other purposes.”
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News: Treating vets' substance abuse
Congressional hearings focused attention on veterans' health and several pending bills. Last month, Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Me) introduced a bill (H.R. 5554) requiring all VA medical centers to provide the full spectrum of care for substance use disorders. A survey of 2007 indicated that more than 7 percent of all vets met criteria for substance use disorder, and last year, 25 percent of those between 18 and 25 met them. To follow H.R. 5554 through the House of Representatives, click...
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News: Third House hearing on PTSD
The House Committee on Veteran Affairs held its third hearing on PTSD to determine the adequacy of the Defense Department's measures to help the one in five soldiers affected by combat stress. Dr. Charles W. Hoge, director of psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, explained how the military conducted post-deployment assessments, noting that signs of stress often take two-three months to appear. He discussed the awareness of the association between concussions on the battlefield and PTSD. A webcast...
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News: PTSD disability hearings
Testimony from the Senate hearings about disability compensation with an emphasis on PTSD is now available. One finding about the Veterans' Administration's benefits system for "service-disabled veterans with a mental primary disability" confirms that: "overall health percentiles and overall life satisfaction percentiles are far below those with physical primary disabilities at the same rating level. Their earnings in general are well below those with physical primary disabilities. The data clearly indicate that their life experience is less satisfying than that...
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News: Raw deal for vets' families
House subcommittee hearings addressed insufficient help for military families, including two million children, needing mental health services. More than half of today’s soldiers have families, yet VA medical facilities have limited their services and have not hired available family therapists. One-in-five soldiers who responded to a survey from the military’s Mental Health Advisory Team reported they were in planning a divorce. The Army Times reports that the Senate rejected a Pentagon request for increased co-pays for prescription drugs under the...
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News: Backlog in vet claims persists
A Veterans' Affairs house panel heard experts say again that the system for addressing benefit claims is dysfunctional. The volume of claims -- 838,000 pending for 2007 -- and the delay in addressing them, which takes nearly six months, requires immediate attention for chronic conditions including mental disorders such as depression or PTSD. The hearings were held following a GAO report released earlier in the week. The President's 2009 budget proposal calls for hiring another 2,600 people to process claims....
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News: Vets sue feds for treatment
With increasing rates of suicide, and long waiting times for mental health treatment, a law suit asks the courts to force government action. The San Francisco Chronicle reports on a class action lawsuit brought by Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth challenging the administration’s claim that “veterans have no legal right to specific types of medical care.”...
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News: Vets get more mileage
Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake announced that vets will now receive reimbursements of 28.5 cents a mile to travel for medical care. The previous rate of 11 cents was set in 1977 when gas cost 60 cents a gallon. Thirteen senator had written to Peake, asking for the same rate government employees receive, 48.5 cents a mile....
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News: Hearings on vets' health
More than 40 percent of the veterans returning from Iraq require mental health treatment and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held hearings on eight relevant bills yesterday. They include: HR 4231 – Rural Veterans Health Care Access Act of 2007 -- calling for vouchers for services 30 miles from a VA facility – which the VA opposes arguing it creates fragmented care, permits a non-VA provider to recommend treatment, and applies to residents of urban as well as...
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Commentary: Peer-to-Peer: Returning Vets' Mental Health Care
by Ralph Ibson

Soldiers in need of mental health treatment are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in unprecedented numbers, stretching thin military services. Ralph Ibson, Mental Health America's Vice President for Government Affairs, explains how a program of peer-to-peer services could fill the void caused by long distances, understaffing, and personnel shortages.


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News: Suicide prevention measures for military
Differing view of progress toward implementing suicide prevention programs were heard on Capitol Hill yesterday in testimony before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Telling a story that has become all too familiar were parents Mike and Kim Bowman, whose 23-year old son Specialist Tim Bowman committed suicide in 2005 after returning from Iraq with the Illinois National Guard. “The VA mental health system is broken in function, and understaffed in operation,” Bowman said, calling the veteran suicide rate an...
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News: Soldier called AWOL at VA hospital
A soldier was arrested at a Vetarans Affairs hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where he was under observation for a weekend before he was scheduled for re-deployment to Iraq. Spc. Justin Faulkner, who was receiving psychiatric care and medications, re-enlisted for a $20,000 bonus but his symptoms worsened as his second redeployment date grew near. After spending one night in jail, he was allowed to return to Fort Campbell where the Associated Press reports he is being treated for PTSD. Desertions...
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News: Vet recovery coordinators: are 10 nurses enough?
The Veterans Administration announced it had reached an agreement with the Department of Defense to hire "federal recovery coordinators" to assist soldiers needing a continuum of care. This was one of the top recommendations from the President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors also called the Dole-Shalala Commission. But the job posted on the VA site (Oct. 31) specified openings for “up to 10 Nurses.” With the injured running into the tens of thousands, is this enough?...
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Consider This: Meeting the crisis in veteran health
Rates of combat-related PTSD, anxiety disorders and depression are climbing off the charts for veterans and their families. But will competing blue-panel commissions slow progress in closing the gaps in the veteran health crisis?
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News: Vets commisssion findings
After two years of study, the congressionally mandated Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission issued its Report. Among the recommendations was updating the schedule for rating disabilities (VASRD). Currently it groups 16 major diagnostic categories from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual into a single system. The commission specifically called for updating criteria for PTSD....
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News: Treatment for vets wanting
A GAO report released yesterday (9.26) showed shortfalls in meeting stated objectives for returning service members. Although a joint committee of the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs recommended numerous changes -- continuity of care, case-management teams, better transition from active service to veteran status, and expedited disability hearings -- for the most part, they have not been implemented. The day before, Rep. Harry E. Mitchell (D-Ariz) rebuked the VA because not all of the beds in the...
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Links: Veterans
Government and nonprofit resources for soldiers and vets. Updated 10.04.07
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News: Despite upgrades, Vet Centers fall short
Staff and personnel at the VA's Vet Centers are understaffed to meet the influx of vets requiring help. According to USA Today, "114 of the 209 Vet Centers need at least one extra psychologist or therapist to help with the influx of veterans." The VA is slated to add fewer than 61....
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